It's All About Scrapbooking

Baby/toddler/childhood is a mound of memories in the making. With so many firsts happening all the time, we almost wish we could burn each moment into our brains for easy reference on demand. But, alas, we can't.

However, we can capture those precious moments by taking pictures and writing things down, and, if we commit a chunk of time, create a means of preserving those memories until our kids are in high school and we need good blackmail material. You guessed it – I'm talking about the scrapbook.

To be perfectly frank, I've always been the least "scrapbook-y" of all my friends. The thought of sitting down with glue and scissors and pictures and tape really isn’t that appealing to me. I'm crazy into photography, but not too skilled as a crafty gal – all that nit-picky perfection makes me itchy.

Fortunately, with digital scrapbooking, even someone who's all thumbs – like me – can get scrappy with the best of 'em.

Here are a few websites to school you on how to get started:

• The Creating Keepsakes Blog, connected with Creating Keepsakes magazine, has a subsection of digital scrapbooking, with advice on everything from what camera to buy to a comprehensive digital scrapbooking software guide.

• Sweet Shoppe Designs offers sophisticated scrappy-bookers an array of kits, elements, fonts, templates, freebies and the like. You can also view tutorials to learn about the intricacies of ombre gradients, how to blend black & white photos, and a bunch of other ways to create and curate your scrapbook.

• Photoshop Elements seems the scrapbooking software of choice among stalwart digital scrapbookers. This YouTube tutorial can also help you navigate your way through learning its ins and outs.

• Want to dabble in digital scrapbooking without learning the lingo? Your pals at Shutterfly have a digital scrapbooking page for those looking to get their feet wet without diving in too deep!

Happy Scrapbooking!

Viv Schaffel is a freelance journalist and essayist who writes for a vast array of publications, including CBS Watch!, The New York Times, Working Mother and The New York Post. She writes/performs sketch comedy and is an upstanding member of US Weekly’s Fashion Police, poking fun at red carpet risks.

Our parenting advice is given as suggestions only. We recommend you also consult your healthcare provider, and urge you to contact them immediately if your question is urgent or about a medical condition.